


The Calm After the Storm

by FebruaryFlowerss



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29559495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FebruaryFlowerss/pseuds/FebruaryFlowerss
Summary: The story continues... things have changed at the Alfea... For most of the students, things changed for worse. Especially for Riven. His well-known arrogant attitude put him in a bad place. Again. But, was it really his fault this time?
Relationships: Musa/Riven (Fate: The Winx Saga), Sam Harvey/Musa
Comments: 47
Kudos: 163





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Proudly staying loyal to my childhood ship... Can't wait to see them in season 2.  
> Btw, my expectations for Fate were pretty low after trailer, but it turned out better than I expected... There were still things I would've change, though, but I'm hoping for even better season 2...
> 
> I’m not a native English speaker, so my grammar and spelling may not always be correct, I try my best...  
> Hope you enjoy...
> 
> Disclaimer – Characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners.

A few things have changed at the Alfea in the last few weeks. A new headmistress, a new specialist headmaster and instructor... while Silva got arrested, and Dowling... nowhere to be seen. It was a shock for everyone. But the days were passing, classes and trainings continued. And everybody was dealing with changes in their own way. For some people that was easy, for others... not so much.

Musa was sitting on the bench next to the specialists’ training area, watching the practice. Her finger was nervously turning around one of her high pigtails. For a moment she caught the sight of Bloom, cause Bloom belonged, unlike her, to the group of the fairies whose magic could be used in the actual combat. In between all the changes, Alfea did continue to have a fairy-specialist trainings in order to fairies, who could use their magic to physically attack, practice their abilities. Musa unfortunately, wasn’t one of them.

She hated that feeling. Being so useless in some situations, not being able to help and just... watch from the sidelines. Of course, she trained as much as she could, but with all the classes and studies, she didn’t have much time. But she really hated being a fairy who still didn’t know how to use her magic to protect herself.

“Hey you... what are you doing here?“ Musa warmly smiled, noticing Sam, who was heading towards her, her mood immediately lighting up, as she focused her magic on him. Like always, his mind was at a clear and calm state. Sometimes, it reminded her at that moment of morning steadiness, when you open your eyes and everything is just relaxing and passive. Unrushed. Full of optimism and joy.

She knew that he was definitely not there to train or something, he was not much of a fighting type. It simply wasn’t his thing. Musa seriously could not ever imagine him hurting another person. He was gentle and kind and nice. Soft and peaceful. And that’s what she liked about him.

He made her feel calm and peaceful too.

“Dad sent me to bring some stuff to instructors. Medications, band-aids and that...“ Sam explained, leaning down towards her. Just before their lips brushed, he whispered, “Not glad to see me?“

“Didn’t say that.“ she mumbled, kissing him back.

But when their lips parted and that tiny moment of clarity disappeared, she remembered that the rest of the word still existed and everything that was bothering her was still there.

Sam’s smirk faded at the sight of her suddenly pensive face. Putting his hand under her chin and lifting her face, he asked concerned, “What is it? Andreas rejected your request for a pairing?“

A new specialist headmaster was Andreas of Eraklyon, Sky’s father and apparently Beatrix’ guardian as well... the fact that was the most shocking for almost everyone... besides the one that he was actually alive. It wouldn’t be enough to say that his methods and rules for training were totally different from Silva’s. Stricter, rougher, harsher... He was the one who chose which fairies could have physical practice and which were better by working on their magic only from the books.

“Yeah, apparently I’m more of a use when I just watch from the sidelines. Or train by myself.“ Musa sadly exclaimed, rolling her eyes in annoyance... Well, she couldn’t really blame him. She, indeed, wasn’t near ready to be able to fight for real. But she worked really hard to make herself be ready. And apparently, channeling emotions into actual energy was the first thing she needed to learn. Except she had no idea how to do that.

“Hey, it’s not going to be like that forever. Only until your powers develop a bit more.“ Sam comforted her, cupping her shoulder lightly.

“I know. But still. It’s boring. And _mind-tiring_.“

She slightly smiled, but Sam knew it took her all of her inner strength to do so. He hated seeing her like that. When he knew she felt bad and frustrated, but simply not being able to help her. But anyway, he smiled back. “Sorry, I have to go, I have class. I had to come here urgently just to bring some painkillers for Riven.“ he replied nonchalantly.

“Riven?“ Musa narrowed her eyes in confusion. “Why Riven?“

“Well apparently, Andreas kicked his ass pretty badly. You haven’t heard anything? Everybody’s talking about it.“ His eyes widened, and Musa let out an angry snort at the mention of Andreas. “What? No! What happened?“ As bad as it sounded, she could actually imagine Andreas choosing a random specialist just to show everyone how brutal force looks like. And with such an attitude, Riven would easily make the first choice.

“Well, what I heard... is that Riven was kind of overly arrogant...“ Sam started, stating the obvious.

“Shocker...“ Musa interrupted him in a dull voice. Just what she thought. Riven’s egoistic and arrogant behavior will one day definitely be the death of him.

“Yeah, and Andreas made him combat. Turned out pretty bad. Dislocated shoulder and very dark bruise around the eye. Although...“ Sam’s tone suddenly became lower, like he wasn’t sure if he should say what was on his mind.

“What?“ she persisted.

“Nick, the guy I talked to... said that Andreas really was... totally over the line.“ Sam told her, emphasizing the last few words, “Silva never treated them like that.“ he added, running his fingers through his hair. 

“Damn...“

“Yeah... sorry, I gotta go, I’ll see you later, okay?“ Giving her a light kiss on a cheek, Sam turned around and rushed towards the fairy hall, leaving her on the bench. 

Putting her headphones on, Musa deeply inhaled. She came there for a quick training just to relieve some stress, but suddenly... she didn’t feel like training anymore.

…

Less than half an hour later, she was still sitting there, listening to the music, but a strange feeling of an actual physical pain, a very nasty one, disturbed her. It was some kind of ache and soreness. Turning her head to the left, she caught the sight of Riven. Of course. She should’ve guessed it. His arm was immobilized with a shoulder brace, and not only that she could feel that he was in pain, she could see it on his face too.

But naturally, not even an unbearable pain or a black eye could keep that arrogant smirk off his face. He still looked annoyingly confident, like he wasn’t just beaten up. Typically.

He grinned as he noticed her.

“Is that face of you feeling my pain or just a regular face you make when you see me?“

“Kind of both...“ she answered, sarcastically smiling.

“Why aren’t you on the list of fairies that could be paired up for trainings?“ he asked casually, as a matter of fact, as he sat on the bench next to her, giving her one of his well-known lopsided smirks.

The first thing she thought about was… to just ignore him. She was not in the mood for bullshit. Especially not his bullshit and his chaotic mind. Plus his obvious physical pain.

“Isn’t it obvious?“ she replied harshly, without even bothering to look at his face, already annoyed by his demeanor.

“You were before.“ he bluntly stated the truth. He saw her before at trainings, and he was actually impressed, but, of course, he didn’t want to say it or show it.

“I was. Before.“ Musa reminded him, “Before Silva got arrested. For _him_ I’m not good enough.“ she gritted out, pointing with her head towards Andreas, who was observing some specialist's exercise.

Riven couldn’t help but smile, sensing her uncomfortableness with the subject. “For him, no one’s good enough.“

“Not even you?“

“Is that a compliment or an insult?“ Riven asked, cocking his eyebrow and giving his voice intentionally a husky tone.

“So... except the fact that he beat the crap out of you just an hour ago... Why do you hate him so much?“ she asked, ignoring his question and narrowing her eyes at him, but she regretted immediately because the moment her eyes met his, her stomach had fluttered, and she felt betrayed by her own body. Her mind was betraying her on a daily basis, she had no room for her body to do that as well. “I figured that as not a blind person, not because I felt it.“ she added, noticing that the grimace on his face turned into anger. _Stay the fuck out of my head..._ Like that’s so easy.

But his face softened. Like he actually believed her.

“Andreas is a fucking asshole. He abandoned my best friend by pretending he was dead, and now, he came here to torture all of us. Not enough reason to hate him? Besides making me wear this fucking thing.“ he hissed, pointing to the shoulder brace. “Plus I probably won’t be able to train for a couple of weeks.“

Musa opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped. Of course that was more than enough. But there was something else... something more than hatred. She just had a problem figuring out what exactly.

Riven was one of the hardest persons to read... he was a mess. A complete mess. In every meaning of that word. His emotions were all over the place, every single one of them at its superior state. All mixed in, curled around, disorganized, uncontrolled and unpredictable, like a hurricane that could destroy everything in front of it. It was unbearable. Chaotic. Overwhelming.

It was more than just a hatred. That she could feel. It was something deeper, more complicated, more entangled... something like fear. Yeah, it was definitely fear. Riven was afraid of him. Something that she would never associate Riven with. Fear. With everything else in his mind, where the hell he had room for that as well?

She was watching him as he tried to reach for his phone, but he was clearly having a problem to do that one-handed. “Damn it...“ he gritted out through his teeth, squeezing his eyes in pain.

Musa immediately turned her head in the other direction, trying desperately to find some other person to focus on. But no one was close enough to be a distraction.

He was in real pain. Fresh, unaccustomed physical pain. She could feel the shivers of discomfort going through her right arm, the same one that he got immobilized. Her shoulder was involuntarily throbbing, she thought it could pop out of the socket any moment. She had to do something to stop it.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?“ Riven breathed out, almost like it was a joke, noticing the expression of pain on her face.

Heavily sighing, her eyes flushed purple for a moment, and all of a sudden she moved closer to him on the bench, grabbing his hand.

“Woahh... Touchy much?“ Riven gasped in surprise, but a moment after he got quiet, standing still. The pain. It was disappearing. Slowly... but every incoming moment, it was lighter. His shoulder was not stiffed like it has been just a few second ago, he could move it.

When he looked at her face, her eyes were closed, and he could see she was struggling. She was struggling to absorb it. But it was working. Her breaths were coming in and out in a steady pace, and like she sensed that he wanted to say something... she cut him off before he got a chance. “Shut up.“

She gulped hard, letting go of his hand. “Something I learned lately... Whatever you wanna say in an attempt to thank me... please don’t.“ With those words, she quickly grabbed her bag and walked away.

Delighted and surprised, Riven was gazing after her. When she dropped out of the sight, he turned his attention back to his injured arm. Shaking it slightly, he clenched a hand into a fist, testing how much it would hurt.

The pain hasn’t completely disappeared, but it was somehow easier to handle than before. And not just the one he was feeling in his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Musa had been staring at the little green vase on a coffee table in the suite for a while now. Telekinesis... How hard could it be? Well, apparently a lot harder than she expected. Okay, basic steps again. Clear your mind. Control your breathing. Visualize the object’s every detail in your mind... shape, color, how hard or soft it is, its scent... Focus on your connection with it. Concentrate clearly on how you'd like the object to move. Extend your intention to the object. Remember not to let your thoughts stray and to focus only on one single action. Have patience...

“Move, you little bitch...“ she angrily sighed.

Still working on a patience...

 _Come on, you can do it..._ Just concentrate. Imagine how the vase is moving. Stay in focus...

Still nothing. The vase was in the exact same place where she put it half an hour ago. _Why the hell is not working?_

“You’re okay?“

Musa deeply inhaled at Bloom’s voice, that managed to break a last little piece of actual patience and concentration her body and mind had left.

It’s just not happening.

“Mhmm...“ she mumbled, in a low rumble, as Bloom slowly sat down on a sofa across from her.

“I can’t exactly feel your emotions, but... Is it about the telekinesis thing?“

“There is no thing. I... I can’t do it... It’s supposed to be easy.“

“Easy?“ Bloom eyes widened in surprise. “Moving things without touching them supposed to be easy? Look, I know I’m just a kid from the first world but, even now... moving something with your mind definitely should not be easy.“ she emphasized the last few words, and Musa slightly smiled. She tried not to take a note on a pity that Bloom’s mind was giving away. Pity... but an understanding too. And compassion.

“Well, if I connect with someone’s emotions, it’s supposed to be easier...“ Musa clarified her earlier statement. “You know, every professor said that for a start, before I learn how to use my own, I'm just supposed to focus on someone else's mind, really feel its emotions and think about what I wanna move. And that's it.“ she explained, falling back against the couch, sighing deeply in defeat. “But it’s not working. Not when I focus on my own emotions, not when I focus on someone else’s.“

Developing telekinesis would be a huge deal. Especially now. It would be something that she could actually use. And the feelings of everyone around her would finally find its use, except giving her just a constant headache. Not to mention that telekinesis would give her some kind of ability to psychically attack and that... that would probably be enough to get her a right to be in a fairy-specialist trainings.

She needed to figure it out.

“Okay. Let's see... When you focus on someone else’s emotions... on whom do you focus mostly?“ Bloom’s question made her cringe. Did that really matter? Every mind is powerful. Not all thoughts are equal, but every mind is utterly powerful. She should be able to use anybody’s emotions or thoughts as a source of power. She just had to figure out how to trigger it.

“Sam…“ she answered honestly. Of course Sam. She was spending a lot of time with him, his presence made her feel comfortable. His mind was easy to focus on. And plus, he loved helping her work on her magic. “But still... It’s not working. For example, today at lunch, I focused on him and tried to move a freaking fork. A fork! And it didn't work. It never works...“

“Well, maybe Sam's peaceful mind is not forceful enough to trigger that sort of magic.“ Both girls turned their heads towards Stella, who just entered the room.

“What that's supposed to mean?“ Musa asked, almost in an offended voice.

“Okay, I know that everything that comes out of my mouth you guys still think as an insult, but I'm just trying to help.“ Stella shot right back, crossing her arms. “You’re right, it’s really supposed to be easy once you activate it. But you have to find a way to do that. You have to find something stronger to trigger it.“

“I would never said it like that… but... maybe Stella's right.“ Bloom quietly said, nodding her head. “Sam's emotions are steady and calm, and that's great, and we know you're drawn to that, but let's try something different. Focus on Stella. Or me. Come on, try it.“

“Well, I'm guessing that our emotions are indeed, more turbulent than little Harvey's.“ Stella added, not even trying to hide her mocking tone.

“You know what? It’s been a really, really long day, and I’m tired of failed attempts. Some other time. Thanks for trying to help, though.“ Musa heavily sighed, rubbing her forehead.

It was enough... Stop trying when you feel mentally or physically tired. That was also a step. She needed to cool off a little bit. And think about something else.

“By the way...“ Changing the topic, she turned to Bloom. “I wanted to ask, how Sky’s dealing with the whole Andreas thing?“

Mention of Sky, was thankfully, not a taboo theme anymore. Jealousy and weirdness and tension between Bloom and Stella had disappeared a long time ago.

“With what exactly?“ Bloom sarcastically asked, “With the fact that he was alive this whole time, the fact that Silva got arrested because of him, the fact that Beatrix is literally now kind of his sister...“

“That’s creepy.“ Stella interrupted, widening her eyes in disgust.

“Or the fact that Andreas beat up his best friend just a couple of days ago?“

“And that was just brutal.“ Stella cut in again, and Musa could feel a sudden fright growing within the Stella’s body. “Riven is an unbelievable pain in the ass, but he did not deserve to be treated like a freaking punching bag. And plus he’s annoyingly resilient, he’s gonna laugh this off, but tomorrow it could be someone else... Something even worse could happen.“

Musa tried not to remember how catastrophically Riven ended his combat with Andreas... and how unbearable his pain was. Almost like she could still feel it. But Stella was right. Even after only a couple of days, Riven didn’t make a big deal out of it. His ego was too precious for that.

The room got quiet. Three girls exchanged horrified looks. The whole thing with Rosalind and Andreas being in charge, ruling the school by power of force and fear, and adding queen Luna in their little gang was just a cherry on top.

Something terrible was coming, there was no need for magic to feel it. And with Silva and Dowling gone, nobody felt protected or secure.

The room was suddenly full of fear, panic, anxiety... Musa couldn’t even figure what emotion was coming from whose body... they were all mixed in a picture of terror. It felt like a nightmare. 

“I think... I’m going to get dinner...“ Musa finally exclaimed, breaking the intense silence and jumping off the bed in a hurry.

She regretted her decision the second she left the suite, knowing that the cafeteria will, like always, be a freaking circus. Going down there was probably the bad idea...

...

It was totally, undoubtedly... the bad idea.

With a still full, untouched plate in front of her, she found herself intensively gazing at the empty glass, and focusing in an attempt to move it. Even if she said that she was done trying for today. She tried again anyway. But of course, like every time before, it didn’t work.

She recalled all the steps again. She tried both, focusing on her own thoughts, and focusing on others. Anyone who was close enough. And not too disturbing to focus on...

And as the more time had passed, she was more and more frustrated. More and more discouraged. More and more disappointed. _Damn it, just move!_

For a second, she thought about how weird she probably looked. Sitting by herself at the table in the corner, incessantly staring at the freaking glass... Trying to move it. Like a crazy person. _But you can do it..._ Don’t think about anything else. Focus on the glass. Imagine how it’s moving. Shut down everything else around you...

“What are you doing?“

“For the love of...“ Her heart skipped a beat in shock, at the sudden husky voice that peered from behind her ear, and a split second later, at the crashing sound of breaking glass. “You scared the hell out of me!“ she gritted out through her teeth, catching her breath and gasping at the sight of Riven, who was widely smiling.

“Haven’t figured that you’re so timid.“ he laughed, sitting down next to her. “What’s with the glass?“ he asked, pointing to the now just a pile of glass pieces on the end of the table.

The glass. It moved. From the place she put it on the table, in less than a mere second... it moved to the left, all over the table and crashed against the wall. 

“It moved.“ She stared at the bunch of pieces in disbelief, suddenly getting aware of what just happened.

“I saw that. Now you have to call Doris to clean it.“ Riven bluntly replied, obviously not getting the point.

“No, it moved! I moved it! I did it! I crashed the glass against the wall, with my mind!“ she exclaimed thunderstruck, a genuine smile curving on her lips.

“Yeah, you’re a mind fairy. I’m very aware you can do that.“

“But I never did it before.“ The gleam in her eyes grew brighter.

“Ohhh, well... congrats, I guess.“ Riven smirked, but a few minutes later his laugh got quieter as he leaned towards her and whispered, licking his lips, amusement evident in his voice, “It’s not because of me, is it?“

“What?“ Musa frowned.

“The glass moved... when I got closer to you.“ A smug grin grew bigger on his face when he saw her eyes widen. “I mean... I scared you and that broke your concentration. But you got intimidated, and that broke the glass.“ he said in a deep hoarse half-whisper.

Struggling to keep her composure when his green eyes intensively bored into hers, she didn’t even want to think that could be actually true.

“That’s not how it happened...“

“But it is.“ he stated, liking the conversation more and more from minute to minute.

“Where’s your shoulder brace?“ Musa asked in a brittle voice, trying to change the subject.

“I don’t need it anymore. Don’t change the subject.“ Riven immediately shot back.

It didn’t work... predictably. Two knew how to play that game. One of them was even the master of it.

“You’re already healed? _The subject_ is over.“

“Yes, I did. It’s not over. I just triggered your power, I deserve a proper thank you at least.“ he continued without hesitation.

He enjoyed this so much. It was literally bursting out of him. Pleasure, amusement, gladness at the thought that he was the reason for something dazzling, something important.

She couldn’t feel _it_ , but she guessed... it wasn’t so common for him to feel like that. To feel useful, important, significant... Crucial. That sent cold shivers through her body. Somehow... on that specific point, she thought about how _strangely alike they were._

“Really?“ she teased, biting her lip at the sudden discovery. But anyway, breathing in deeply, she told him, “Well, you’re not gonna get one, take it... as an exchange for what I did a few days ago.“

“So... you are admitting that I triggered you magic?“ he persisted. Of course he persisted. He craved that feeling. To feel something has changed, to feel something became better _because of him._

She huffed out a soft laugh. “No.“

“Try it again.“ Riven demanded, putting his phone on the table in front of him.

“What?“ Musa narrowed her eyes at him.

“To move something. Come on, I’m giving you one time in life permission to use my brilliant mind.“

“Eww...“ she grunted out, playfully rolling her eyes.

“Just try it.“ he smiled, gesturing towards the phone.

Musa couldn’t help but smile at his overexcitment and enthusiasm. And _concern._ That one confused her. He didn’t have a reason to feel that.

“Okay... Let’s try again.“ she sighed, suddenly becoming a lot more confident with her magic. It worked a few minutes ago... it should work again. He glanced at Riven for a moment, before focusing on the phone in front of her. A purple flare sparked within her eyes, as she let herself drown into his thoughts. It was overwhelming and lawless like his mind always is. 

Maybe that was the reason why the phone moved before she even knew she thought about moving it... Just like that. Like a million previous failed attempts happened years ago. Like they didn’t matter one bit. And it felt good. For the first time in forever, her magic felt... valuable.

Relief unleashed within her. For some reason he was giving it away as well. Like... for some reason, helping her make him feel good. And relieved.

The powerful feeling and confidence didn’t last long as a huge headache hit her. Musa started rubbing her eyes and temples, trying to ease the pain. That was definitely a sign to stop for a while.

When she opened her eyes again, Riven was grinning. “So... when do you want to schedule our next lesson?“ he asked, teasingly raising his eyebrows.

Laughing, she lightly punched his arm.

“Hey! Wounded shoulder, remember?“

“I thought you healed.“ she smirked back, and for the first time since she met him, his mind was giving away something warmer than a chaotic storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always happy to hear your thoughts...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly but surely, things are heating up...

The shout of his name wrenched Riven from his horrid nightmare. He opened my eyes with a loud gasp. The room was plunged into darkness, and rain was strongly pounding against the windows. He painfully pulled himself up into a sitting position, his brain finally puzzling pieces of Sky’s pale face and blonde hair right in front of him.

Riven was completely drenched in sweat, heavily breathing, clearly terrified by whatever he dreamt of.

“Dude, you’re okay?” Sky’s concerned, but slightly irritating voice brought him back to reality and Riven deeply sighed, reaching for a phone on his nightstand. It was 2:49 am. He felt nauseous, and his head was heavy. He didn’t need Sky stepping on his pain too, no matter how pure his intentions were.

“Yeah, yeah, it was just a…” Riven stared, massaging his eyes with his hand. He couldn’t remember anything. Not a single thing. Just darkness. But whatever it was, it seemed so vivid and real, and very upsetting.

“A nightmare, yeah, I figured.” Sky’s interrupted, “I’m asking… are you okay?”

“Fuck off Sky, I’m fine!” he snapped, the next second regretting being that harsh, but Sky can be so annoying sometimes. “I’m fine, okay? Sorry…” he mumbled, trying to sound calmer than before, slipping out of the bed, but the moment he stood up, he was suddenly seized by a dizziness. A throbbing headache was pulsing through his temples, as if an invisible clamp were squashing his skull.

“I’m just worried about you, mate.”

A deep groan came from somewhere in the back of the Riven’s throat as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. He knew that. But sometimes he just needed him to back off. Sometimes Sky simply couldn’t understand.

Not being able to think about any other solution, he grabbed the vape that was hidden in the nearest drawer, completely ignoring Sky and his displeasing sighs.

The sharp sting of nicotine coated Riven’s throat. His heart rate slowly returned to normal. He felt better already. Just a little better. As much as he possibly could, at least.

…

Maybe it was stupid, maybe it was dangerous, maybe it was irresponsible, maybe it was literally the worst time possible to do such a thing, but party that both fairies and specialist been planning for days, already was in full swing. The place was packed, the air was thick with lights and smoke, and loud music was thumping.

And strangely, Musa was actually pretty much enjoying it. Yeah, parties were full of people, and people were full of heavy, difficult thoughts and emotions, but all of that was somehow lighter to handle at the parties. Alcohol and weed do their job pretty good apparently.

And she desperately needed to relax a little bit. After everything that happened lately, everybody needed that. Well, almost everybody…

Musa smugly grinned at Bloom, before the two girls knocked their heads back, downing the extremely strong alcohol shots, and then she felt her throat burning as she swallowed.

“Where’s Sam?” Bloom asked casually, coughing slightly at the strong liquor taste.

“Couldn’t come. He has too much to study apparently.” Musa sighed, frustrated. Her hand reached for the bottle to pour herself another drink.

“You’re not too delighted by that?”

“Not really. I barely saw him the last week. Or the last… few. He’s been… busy. Constantly.” Musa sniffed, trying to sound not too disappointed. She knew she should be happy and proud of him for being so ambitions when it comes to grades and studying. And she was. Examines were just around the corner, maybe she should even study more herself. She was more focused on practicing her magic lately, than actually studying it. But then again, some days Musa found herself thinking how Sam began turning from _absence of chaos_ to just _absence_. And she hated herself every time that popped into her mind.

He apparently didn’t have that balloon in his body that needed to pop by being careless for a bit. By getting out, loosening up and forgetting all the worries and obligations. She knew she had…

It was Bloom’s shocked voice what made the flow of her thoughts suddenly stop. “What the hell happened?!”

She quickly turned, blinking a few times, just to catch the sight of Sky who was walking towards them in a hurry, blood rushing from his nose.

“He’s been an asshole, like always, that’s what happened.” Riven appeared right behind him, clutching his fist, his knuckles bloody.

“So you punched him?!” Bloom shouted in disbelief, grabbing Sky by the chin and examining his bruise.

“It slipped. He totally deserved it.” Riven defended himself, obviously not giving much importance or seriousness to the situation, as he gulped another sip of beer. His eyes were kind of glossy, drifting around the room clumsily.

“He’s drunk.” Sky explained, looking back at Riven. “It’s fine. It’s not a big deal.” Sky tried to calm them down, putting a hand over his nose, in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “I did… provoked him.”

“Are you actually defending him? It’s not fine! Okay, Bloom you go with Sky to find something for that bruise and you…” Musa turned, pointing at Riven, “I think you had enough. Come on. Out! You need some fresh air.” she gritted out, grabbing the almost empty bottle of beer from his grasp and briskly shoving him towards the exit.

“Punching your best friend in the face. Really good way to deal with a shitty day. Nicely done.” Musa told him exasperatedly, almost shouting, when they got out of the crowd.

“Shitty day and shitty night. You have _no_ idea.” Riven replied in a low voice and widened his eyes, his hand reflexively landing on her shoulder, so he wouldn’t lose his balance.

“We all have problems, you know? And doubts. And fears. It’s not only you…” she told him, her voice almost cracking.

“What? Your life is not fairy tale either?”

A chuckle escaped her lips, the look in her eyes and her voice softening. “Okay, that’s actually kind of funny.”

What an irony. Being fairy or not, her life was definitely not a fairy tale. “No, it’s most definitely not. It’s a mess.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “But I’m not dealing with it by getting drunk and taking all of my frustration and anger out on my best friends.”

“No, you’re dealing with it by getting just _a little bit_ drunk.” he smirked at her, purposely making his voice squeaky at the word _little._

“Little is acceptable.” she shot right back.

“I think that _little_ is more than enough for _… you._ ” Riven laughed, putting his hand above her head, letting her know he was referring to her height. “You're tiny.”

Musa let out a muffled laugh, shaking her head.

He really liked the way her long, loosen, dark hair fell over half her face when she did so. She pushed it behind her ear as she asked concerned, feeling the need to change the subject. “So what happened? With Sky?”

“Well, it’s not the first time, and probably not the last time we got into a fight over nothing important. Tonight… I just found him… annoying. And he said it himself, he literally asked for it.” he groaned, leaning forward and invading her personal space just a little too much. Like he wanted to intimidate her by his sheer height comparing to her. “What?” he asked, noticing a strange look on her face.

„Sky cares about you. And I don’t know how you manage it, but somehow, the more someone cares about you, the worse you treat them.“

The truth in her words had bothered him more than he wanted to admit. The sharp pain on his knuckles was the clear reminder of his actions. He had no actual reason to do that to Sky. The last few weeks were harsh, he got carried away, alcohol in his veins bumped him with adrenaline, and he did it. Simply as that. His temper always got out the best of him.

What caught him by surprise was the fact she saw that within him. Maybe it had something to do with her powers. Musa was an empath after all. But the way she explained it, it was deeper. She had thought about it deeper. Riven was sure she didn’t just blink with her eyes and went through his feelings history in one quick motion.

He felt like she actually understood.

The ball of guilt started forming in his body as he thought about Sky again. Even though he knew they will work things out tomorrow. He’s gonna wake up with a huge, headache, say something like _dude I’m sorry about last night, it was a rough day,_ and everything will be fine. It always was.

But he still felt like he needed to defend himself. And what he said, wasn’t any less truthful than what she stated first.

„Maybe that’s because the people who claimed they care about me, always were the ones who hurt me the most.“ he told her and then examined her carefully. Her eyes were boring back into his like crazy. Longer than he expected. There weren’t purple sparks in her eyes, but he could swear she was reading him completely. He most definitely felt like she was.

“Don’t do that.” he warned her, just to make an insurance and remind her that his head was out of reach for her. But Musa clearly didn’t need powers to read him like a book. To feel for him. To feel everything he was feeling.

She also didn’t need to use her magic to figure on whom his statement was referred to. The first person she thought of was Beatrix. Then Dane. His _not so friendly_ friends anymore. She also heard stories about his parents. Not the most loving ones apparently.

People who supposed to care about him was always the ones who hurt him. That somehow made Musa understand why he was so untouchable and reserved, even with Sky. 

“What? I’m not doing anything.” she replied innocently, glancing down finally, her cheeks flushing, as she felt his eyes on her.

They fell into silence. Long and… intense silence.

Riven wasn’t sure whether it was the alcohol that was giving him the nerve, or the weight of the last few weeks, or the latest discovery or at least assumption about her actually understanding and feeling for him, or maybe just the simple fact that he had _her_ standing right in front of him, just a few inches distanced, in the cold night air… but he felt something pull at him, urging him to do something.

He leaned in and hovered over her for a moment, his gaze intense, before he felt one of her palms on his chest, gently pushing him back.

“Easy there.” Musa breathed out, his closeness starting to bother her.

Riven caught her swallow nervously and couldn’t help but smirk at that. She was intimidated. Good. Without hesitating, he got closer again. She stepped back.

“You’re drunk.” Her voice was almost inaudible.

Intimidated, but not in a bad way, he figured.

Excited even. Heat shot into her cheeks as she added, her voice shaking, “So you should get back to your room, lie down and tomorrow you won’t remember anything.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll remember this.” His deep and hoarse voice caused a shiver to run down her spine, but she somehow managed to not let it show on her face how much he affected her. Not more than she already showed, at least.

But still, a strong warning bell began ringing in her head as she finally figured that his constant leaning towards her wasn’t because of his alcohol caused lack of balance.

Musa was now absolutely sure he could control his motions very well. His intentions too. He was doing this very purposely. Sudden smugness on his face only increased that fact.

She stepped back once again, her shoulders brushing against the stone wall behind her. And he stepped forward just a second after, his gaze focused on her eyes. It was just one moment in between, when she could swear his eyes fell down and roamed over her body from head to toe. It lasted for just a split second, but she was sure it happened.

“Riven…” Now both of her hands flew high and landed on his chest to provide distance between their bodies, but without pushing him back.

The way she breathed out his name and the warmth of her palms against his chest, through the thin material of his shirt made him shiver and shot a ball of desire in his stomach.

His gaze darted down to her lips and she gulped, pressing herself back against the wall behind her as much as she could. Undeniable attention he was giving to her lips, made her so nervous that she involuntarily licked them, and she gulped again, realizing that made things even worse. His eyes stayed focused on the movement of her tongue, and he grinned. Her mouth had him hypnotized.

“Don’t do that.” Musa managed to whisper, holding her breath, as she stared baffled up into his face, at his slightly sweaty hair, at his lips that were curved into a recognizable smirk, unable to move her body at all, having apparently no access to her brain at the moment. She hasn’t even drunk that much. A little bit, yes, but definitely not enough to not have any connection to her common sense.

“What? I’m not doing anything.” Riven replied, mimicking the way she said those exact words to him just a few minutes earlier. And to the contrary of those words, his hand reached up and slowly tucked one strand of her dark hair behind her ear. He loved how silky it felt against his fingers.

Now that he was up close, he happened to notice some things he never did before. That he never paid attention to. The way her lips were firm and coral. He noticed her eyelashes, long and thick. The way eyeliner always perfectly shaped her dark eyes. The way her pale skin was literally glowing in the moonlight.

His palm landed on her cheek, cradling it, and a soft sigh reflexively escaped her lips as she leaned into his touch. Her skin was hot, literally burning. Riven trailed his hand down, following the line of her jaw and cupping her chin, as his thumb brushed against her lower lip. He had no idea where or when or why he gave himself permission to do that. He was very aware it was not his place. It was not his fingers that supposed to trail over her soft skin and run through her hair. It was not his voice that supposed to brush over her lips, and it was not his eyes that supposed to drink in the sight of her like this. But that naked truth didn’t stop him. He was completely sure that nothing on theirs or first or any world could’ve stopped him… except her.

Riven leaned in just a bit closer, without moving his hand from his face and keeping his eyes locked on hers. His other hand found its place against the wall just beside her head, supporting his body as he hovered over her.

He was so close that Musa could feel his breath on her face, instantly sensing the smell of beer, with a trace of something stronger too, except she couldn’t figure exactly was it vodka or maybe tequila or something else. The emerald shade of his eyes was drawing her even closer. Smell of nicotine was also impossible to escape, but for some reason, some really strange, unbelievable reason, Musa didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, it intoxicated her. It intoxicated her so much and so badly, and his lips were so close which wasn’t helping one bit.

She tried to tell herself it was the alcohol scattering her mind and body, and not the feeling of intimacy and nearness she suddenly felt toward him. She couldn’t.

And after all, it wasn’t his behavior that shocked her. It was the fact that for a second… for a split second she’d considered giving in. She had to bite her lip to keep her emotions in check. It was too close. Too inappropriate. She could not let herself feel like that. Especially not with her very exciting boyfriend. The thought of him wake from the death the last thread of sanity she had at the moment.

And when that rational voice in her head finally became the loudest one again, making her come back to her senses, in a blink of an eye, before she even knew what she was doing, she pushed Riven with a bigger force than she intended, making him clumsily stumble backwards. Without saying a word or even looking up at him again, she shoved him and walked away in a rush.

What just happened hit Musa right in the chest, making her feel a tug in a region she didn’t want to feel anything while she was with him. Not anything like this.

Like _this_ even mattered. Like he was gonna remember anything tomorrow. She was sure he won’t. She was just some girl that happened to be alone with him for a couple of wrong minutes. Nothing more. That thought made her sadder than she wanted to. She shuddered out a shaky breath, shaking her head. The moment Sam popped into her mind again, she felt an enormous rush of guilt. Even if she didn’t do anything.

Because the source of that guilt wasn’t her actions or non-actions. It was just a simple fact. A simple, but undeniable fact that a tiny, unexplainable, intangible part of her wanted to obey to Riven’s drunk performance. That she wished his actions weren’t rooted by the undoubted and evident level of alcohol in his system. That she wished he would remember this tomorrow. Stupid, empty wishes…. 

Riven gritted out an expletive, balling his hands into fists, as he watched her fleeing back to the party, without looking back. “Fuck.” he mumbled quietly to himself, running his hands through his hair. “Fuck!”

Then he lifted both hands to his face, trying to rub away the confusion and tiredness and heaviness that he knew resided there. He seriously needed to lie down and get some decent sleep. He would accept another horrid, terrifying nightmare even. If that nightmare could make him forget what just happened and get her out of his head. He needed her to get out of his head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m kind of doubting about something... so feel free to leave suggestions. I'm trying to come up with a good break-up reason for Musa and Sam. I’m determent she absolutely won’t cheat on him at any point, cause I still love him as a character and I want him to get out of this as painless as possible. So any thoughts?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think... Hope you enjoyed this chapter...


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